Mobile platforms, for example, commercial aircraft, often carry passengers or crew members. Such individuals are finding an increasing need for in-flight entertainment (IFE) and electrical power outlets to operate various electronic devices, such as laptop computers, at their seats. To provide a passenger with such features, electrical power and data must be delivered to each seat. Conventionally, power and data are delivered to passenger seats via numerous cables that, during assembly, are laid out in position on the floor of the aircraft passenger cabin. A portion of the cables are positioned beneath a covering, such as the seat track cover, and a portion that includes connectors to the seats is left exposed to connect with the yet to be installed seat groups containing each passenger seat.
During installation of the seat groups, the seat groups must be carried in over the exposed cables. Taking care to avoid the exposed cables increases both the complexity of the operation and the amount of time required to install the seats. Once the seats are installed, installers must crawl along the floor of the aircraft to manually attach each cable to each seat group. This process is cumbersome and time consuming. Further, in order to change the longitudinal position of the seat groups along the seat tracks, the seat tracks must be re-wired so that the wiring contained therein will reach the seats in their new positions. As would be expected, re-wiring an aircraft is a costly and time consuming process.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide an improved device for delivering power and/or data to seat groups in a mobile platform that eliminates the need to run individual data/power cables to each seat group.